The present invention relates to dollies and pallets and, in particular, it concerns a combination dolly-pallet.
The prior art is replete with wheeled dollies and pallets with retractable wheels. Wheeled dollies, however, are generally not usable on roller conveyer devices, and pallets generally must be lifted off the ground in order to be moved.
One problem with some pallet designs utilizing retractable wheels is that the wheels are fixed to the displacement mechanism rather than directly to the pallet. Therefore, the stresses of moving the loaded pallet are applied to the displacement mechanism rather than to the solid part of the pallet. Reliable devices require heavy displacement mechanisms. Further, the displacement path of the wheel elements includes some degree of lateral displacement while the wheel elements are supporting the full weight of the pallet and its contents. Here again, the stresses of the load are applied to the displacement mechanism rather than to the solid part of the pallet.
There is therefore a need for a combination dolly-pallet with wheels that are fixedly attached and a retractable contact surface that supports the dolly-pallet while in a non-rolling state, wherein the retractable contact surface is displaced along a substantially vertical path. It would be beneficial if the retractable contact surface were configured as a retractable support skid.